Projects Building My First Roadster in San Francisco

Thank you! I am trying and feel particularly lucky to be learning every step of the way. No cleaning products were used in the making of this hot rod

 

Hey everyone, so update on the gears. I have a new, made in the U.S.A. aluminum gear heading my way along with all the correct gaskets, etc. After careful consideration, I decided that the juice isn't worth the squeeze to run the set from McEachern. For now, they're going on the shelf for a future 'banger build. You guys hit the nail on the head when you said I shouldn't lose the summer over this.

Thank you all again for all your guidance and expertise. Slowly but surely, we're making progress!

 

Aaand we're back with a very full update. I'm still waiting on my oil pan gasket kit, but there's still plenty to talk about.

On May 12, I turned 28. Way back when I started this thread, I mentioned that I wanted to spend my 27th year finding and subsequently building a Model A roadster. I'm excited to say that I did that, even though I have a lifetime's worth of work that still needs to be done. On a personal level, I'm really glad that I threw caution to the wind and went for it. I knew the project was going to be challenging and fun, but I never could have imagined that I would meet so many neat, knowledgable folks along the way (you guys). As I'm sure you know, we're just getting rolling.

Soon after I arrived at Ocean Beach last month, JP.wtf shot this timeless photo of me and the car on medium format film. That was a special day, and I'm grateful that he captured that moment.

 

On Wednesday, I also received a pair of priceless gifts for the car. As luck would have it, they're both shift knobs. The first one came from my parents and Lucky Burton. Lucky is a talented craftsman and one of the nicest guys in the business; I got to know him while writing the feature on his Model A competition coupe for TRJ #83.
Here I am trying out Lucky's land speed machine.

For my roadster, I can use all the luck I can get! The shifter has a great feel to it.

***

Later that day, I received a package from David di Falco. He hinted that he was sending something my way, but I had absolutely no idea what it was. The envelope was small and heavy. I tore it open. Inside, I found a skull shift knob that he painted to match the copper accents on my car!

When I called to thank him, he informed me that this piece has a wild back story. Back when he was 12 years old in the early-'70s, he formed the skull out of clay and had his sister fire it in the kiln at her high school in South San Francisco. Initially, it was meant to be an incense holder.
He held onto it all those years. Decades later, he worked with Hudson Joe Buffardi to have a limited number cast in aluminum. He then threaded it for an early Ford shifter and treated it to a custom paint job. I'm honored to have such a treasure in my possession. Reminds me of the "Kookie Kar" in all the right ways.

 

Since we're focusing on the interior, I was finally able to locate an original horn button and put it into play. Even though it's not hooked up, it feels good to finally have that void filled. Here's where the pieces are from.

Steering wheel/column: Hayward, California
Headlight switch: Morgan Hill, California
Headlight button: Pleasant Hill, Missouri


Next, my newest gear showed up along with the correct Torco gear lube.

 

That's the back side. I was just highlighting its country of origin. It does indeed have a divot.

 

After an eventful week, I spent Saturday morning doing chores around the house. As I stood in the garage preparing to box up some magazines, I heard the distinct rumble of a V8. I looked behind me and my jaw dropped. "Whaaat?!" I said. "A Deuce five-window on my street?" Lo and behold, it was fellow H.A.M.B.er @Jaime Florence, who had made his way over from the Sunset.

I had to run back upstairs to get my phone. It's hard to explain how exciting it was to have a second hot rod on the cul de sac.
I learned that the all-steel '32 is the latest addition to Jaime's stable; he plans to drop in a fully rebuilt 331 Hemi in the not-so-distant future.
With slicks, mags and a healthy chop, this five-window definitely has a serious '60s look. Jaime has a long history of road racing, so he plans to drive this car hard. Despite the San Francisco spring drizzle, we drove down to Ocean Beach, following a similar path to the one I took in my roadster last month. Once we hit the Great Highway, we made a right and cruised by the world-famous Cliff House (which is rumored to be returning under new ownership!)
After making our way through the Outer Richmond, Jaime asked if I'd like to take a turn behind the wheel. "Really?!" I asked. Moments later, I was ripping around my old neighborhood in a bona fide '32 Ford hot rod. Pinch me.

With its stout smallblock, the little blue coupe had no problem spinning those piecrust slicks. By the time we made it back to the terrace, I was grinning from ear to ear. Thank you again, Jaime. I can't wait to see how the project progresses!

 

This morning I cut through the fog and rode my bike to the Ocean Beach car show. I was very impressed with the traditional hot rods in attendance, some of which I've seen and others that are new to me.
I've always liked this cabriolet, better known as "Camera Car #2."
Bonus points for the creative fender patch. Possibly a future Jalopy Journal feature car? We'll see...

I dream of having an interior this nice one day. Note the old chrome upper dash rail and garnish moldings.

More good looking vintage tin. The five-window in the foreground belongs to Brandon aka LokiRoadster.

Of all the cars I haven't seen before, this was my favorite. It belongs to master craftsman and land speed racer John Buddenbaum. I had a great time meeting John and learning about not only the A, but also his record-setting 50cc streamliner motorcycle and his slew of interesting projects. On the cabriolet, note the aluminum rolled rear pan, Bugatti exhaust and vintage racing tires.

Power comes from a hopped up 'banger running a 7:1 Lyon Speed Head, Stromberg carb and plenty of tricks for touring. John bought the car in Arizona and drove it back to the Bay Area. I can't wait to get a photo of my car next to it for comparison sake.

 

After lunch, I decided to cruise on over to an estate sale at an old upholstery shop off of Ocean Avenue. I wasn't looking for anything in particular, but I ended up scoring a few odds and ends that may be used on the car. I also appreciated this swoopy sports car on the bulletin board. I don't know for sure, but it looks like it may be made out of early-'30s Chevy parts?

When I got home, I dove right back into the project. While scraping the old oil pan gasket, I came across something, well, bad.

Looks like the babbitt on the bottom of rear main is cracked. There is no babbitt material in the pan or in the oil, so it's hard to determine when this occurred. I'd like to think it was years ago, but part of me wonders if it happened while I was trying to remove the woodruff key. When I first saw it, my heart sank. Rebuilding this engine just isn't feasible from a money/space/scope of project standpoint. I can always swap for the Gopher Motor, but my gut tells me I should just run it like this for as long as possible. I've seen online that many people have ran way worse setups (mostly Model T's). It appears as if the rest of the babbitts are complete.

Seeing this took the wind out of my sails. I'll be honest, I was really sad. You know those moments where you're laying on the garage floor wondering what the hell you're doing? Yeah, it was one of those. Anyways, after a few minutes of that, I jumped back up and rolled the car out in the driveway.

With a loose plan in mind, I started painting the decklid. I used whatever materials I could find in an effort to match the body. I can't give away too many secrets, but that may or may not have included house paint, spray paint, mystery chemicals, dirt, dust, fire, a leaf and a little bit of water. I still have to darken it a little, but I'm happy with how it's coming together.

 

Thank you for coming along for the ride! Prior to me taking the engine apart, the brakes seem to work very well with the woven shoes and the Flathead Ted floaters. Once I get the cast-iron drums on the rear and everything evened out, I think they'll be even better. I'm not going to lie—the brakes have been one of the most expensive parts of this whole project. If I weren't in such a hilly city, I don't think I'd be as concerned. Once I go V8, it's getting juice brakes.

 

Hey everyone, I’ll continue the conversation tomorrow, but I just wanted to post a couple of photos from today. After many an hour of planning, searching, measuring, building and testing, the taillight project is complete! I had to roll the roadster out in the driveway to soak it all in before I closed up shop for the night.






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Also, the I plan to install another Yankee accessory bullet light on the passenger side. I equipped these with super bright 12V bulbs. They’re single-filament, so they’ll act as auxiliary brake lights when the pedal is pressed.


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